Roots
by mar-hhr4ever
Summary: Nathaniel Anthony DiNozzo does not know who his parents are. Follow him as the search for the truth takes him from Italy to Israel and finally to America. Takes place 18 years post-Aliyah. TIVA.
1. 1 The Beginning

_**Roots**_

Summary – Nathaniel Anthony DiNozzo does not know who his parents are. Follow him as the search for the truth takes him from Italy to Israel and finally to America. Takes place 18 years post-Aliyah. TIVA.

Disclaimer – NCIS characters are CBS's not mine.

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_Chapter One – The Beginning _

A tree is nothing without its roots, if you remove its roots you have removed its entire being.

It was the first thing that Sr Rosa taught him about gardening, you have to take care of the roots - having solid roots will make a tree stronger. He always thought that she wasn't just talking about the tree; she had a habit of using gardening to explain to him the way life works. They often ended up talking about families and love more than trees and weeds and he knew that she did it on purpose, to make him think, ask himself questions. Because after all, if a tree is not strong without its roots then he was damned from the beginning.

You see, he knew nothing about his roots. Being found at the door of the nuns' orphanage only a couple of days old did not really constitute having roots. Still Sr Rosa would tell him that every tree has roots, sometimes we just don't know where they lie and have to dig them up. That was what he was doing right now; he was digging up his roots.

It was harder than he thought. His first clue was his name, the only thing written on the note he was abandoned with. _Il suo nome e` Nathaniel Anthony DiNozzo. _Being in Italy he thought it would not be difficult to track down an Italian name but that did not end up anywhere. He did not find any DiNozzo family in Italy to whom he could have belonged.

The other clue was the necklace with a Star of David that was around his neck. The nuns took it as a sign that his parents were Jewish and took him to the Jewish community once a week where he learnt Hebrew. He did not find any other clues as to who he was in this community or any other Jewish community of the country. He accomplished all of this by the age of 10, with the help of the sisters and some older boys from the orphanage of course.

All in all he couldn't say he had had a bad childhood, everyone in the orphanage worked together to create a good atmosphere for all the kids to grow in. Of course there were normal teenagers' fights but nothing serious. He was grateful to the nuns for the upbringing they gave him. To never take anything for granted, to make the most of what you get and to take life in your hands and do what you can with the talents God gave him.

He had learnt how to cook from Martina, the old widow who practically lived at the orphanage. She was quite the character, she loved all the children and thought that the best way to show it was to cook the best food in the world, and she did just that. Fra Guido was the old deaf friar of the Franciscan convent close by who taught the boys how to make wooden Christmas cribs and Nathaniel had quite gotten the hand of carpentry. He got his movie trivia skills from Carlo who used to be one of them and when turning 18 stayed with the nuns to work with them instead of leaving like the rest. He had stated that they were getting old and needed help. He used to organise movie Wednesdays – Mercoledi al cinema – and had loads of posters in his room. Nathaniel was charmed by movies from the very first one he saw and was now an avid film-maniac.

Amidst all this, at the age of 10 that his other clue was delivered to him. It was an anonymous letter, the first letter he received in his life. It read: _'I am sorry for the pain I have caused you and your mother. The clues to your past are in Israel, Mossad.'_ He thought that maybe his father wrote it, maybe he was the one who abandoned him, maybe his mother didn't know. But why would the note be in English? With a surname like DiNozzo he thought his family would be Italian. Too many questions, so little answers. If the note was from his father he would forgive him someday because he had just given him the greatest clue of all - a place where to look.

He did not know anything about Mossad but he immersed himself in a search and asked Padre Marco to tell him history stories. Padre Marco of course was only too glad to oblige, he was after all known for inserting little history facts in his sermons and while he ate and while he watched TV and whilst playing football. So with his help he slowly learnt all that could be known about Israel, its government and Mossad. Of course Padre Marco left out a lot of things when regarding Mossad, he realised this now that it was to protect him, to keep him innocent for as long as possible.

That was where he was right now – Mossad. He left the orphanage at the age of 14 and joined Mossad the same year, sure he was still very young but a little lie about his age and great results at aptitude tests meant that the Mossad had gotten themselves a good and willing officer.

He was always quite bright, too smart for his own good according to Sr Maria. 'Sure knows how to use his tongue, smart mouth, talk-back, arrogant' were all words she'd use to describe him. But she never punished him for it, instead she just threw at him another language saying, 'if you're going to talk a lot might as well do it in different language.'

She was right, it was a good skill to have and it was now that he realised just how useful it could be. When he was asked to fill an application stating the skills he had, he was sure his superiors would be impressed with his answers. He stated he could speak seven languages fluently, that he could cook, had carpentry skills, do gardening, knew cinema inside out – yes very good for undercover work. And that was exactly what he wanted to do.

Why you ask? He wanted to be given an assignment in America, and again you ask why? He thought that he would find his father there. You see he joined Mossad following the clue that was sent to him, he endured the gruelling physical and emotional training to get to where he was now. He was regarded as the best young officer of the whole organisation and knew that he could join whichever unit he wanted. During his training he asked around and searched in old case files for an officer DiNozzo – his father's surname being the only thing he had to go on. It took him a long time and quite creative methods to find out about a case in which an _Agent _DiNozzo from NCIS was involved in.

Some more investigation showed that this Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo still worked with NCIS, so Nathaniel thought that being sent to America on some mission would be getting a step closer to the truth. Unfortunately he still knew nothing about his Mother, however he thought that if there was a common mission between Mossad and NCIS it could explain how his parents met. His father an NCIS agent, his mother Mossad – that would explain his surname and the Mossad link written in the letter he had received. It was a plausible explanation.

He still had no added information about his mother and did not know where to look. The case file concerning Agent DiNozzo held no information as to who he worked with during the case. It just mentioned a dead Mossad agent and an investigation into it headed by the then Director Eli David.

As said before he was known around Mossad, envied by some of his peers and respected by others, but it was still a surprise when his superior trainer told him that he was wanted in the Director's office. What could he have done to be asked there?

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End of Chapter One. If you have any feedback feel free to review, I'd appreciate it a lot.

Thanks for reading.


	2. 2 Ziva's Story

_**Roots**_

Summary – Nathaniel Anthony DiNozzo does not know who his parents are. Follow him as the search for the truth takes him from Italy to Israel and finally to America. Takes place 18 years post-Aliyah. TIVA.

Disclaimer – NCIS characters are CBS's not mine.

Note: As you'll see I don't really know how to write between conversations, but I hope it is clear who is saying what.

_Chapter Two – Ziva's Story_

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It was quite a normal day at the Mossad headquarters in Tel Aviv, Ziva was watching the view from her office's window. It could be relaxing at times to see the people passing by, each one of them not knowing how much work and sacrifices are done every day to maintain peace. Working to maintain peace is not generally one of the aims listed of the Mossad, however Ziva liked to think that all the sacrifices she had done in her lifetime for Mossad had a positive impact on her co-citizens. After all she had given a lot for Mossad, her whole life, her whole meaning.

She picked up the paper to check it for the hundredth time; the words on the paper remained the same. She was as shocked as the first time she had seen it, still couldn't believe her eyes. It was a normal official Mossad document stating the names of the new Officers ready to be assigned to the different units. There was nothing out of the ordinary about it, just names and names of people dedicating their lives to serving their country. It was just one name that stood out and affected her so much. The name was: Nathaniel Anthony DiNozzo and not only was the surname of one NCIS agent who she knew and loved eighteen years ago; it was her son's name.

Yes, her son. Hers and Tony's. The same son she had given birth to in Somalia while under imprisonment. The same son she lost a couple of days later; she had a small memorial for him. He was buried next to Tali.

She could not believe that it was a coincidence that there was someone with the exact same name she had chosen for her son. It had to be some sort of sick joke but it was only her father who knew of Nathaniel's existence, after all it had been him who found them at his doorstep. It had been him who told her when she awoke from the coma that her son had died. Maybe Eli had found a way to torment her from his grave.

Eli David has been dead for 7 years now; it is the same amount of years that she has been the Director of Mossad. Dedicating her life to work was easy when she had lost all meaning of life and work gave her the drive necessary to survive. She had become quite good at her job but she did not love it as much as she loved working at NCIS. She missed her old team but could not make herself contact anyone, she could not afford getting hurt as she knew she would not survive it.

When she saw her son's name she asked for him to be brought to her office to see for herself. She did not know what she was expecting to find by seeing him, maybe she thought he would look so different that she would be sure that he was not her Nathaniel. She did not even know if Nathaniel would look like her or like Tony at all she just knew she wanted to see him. It would be difficult, she knew that, already in the little time she had known about him she had been flooded with many memories she normally held hidden.

_It was a cold night both weather-wise and heart wise. Tony was still kicking himself about that Grant case, he would not forgive himself for the mistake it had cost Lt Grant 3 years of his life in prison for nothing. Apart from that their latest case had taken a toll on all of them,_ _it always did when it concerned children. They went to the bar together to forget for just a moment about the perverts that existed in the world. He had too much to drink and Abby suggested someone should take him home and she ended up doing it since Abby wanted to stay with McGee. Once back at his apartment she tried to sober him up but the alcohol was enough to loosen his tongue - he kept talking and talking about anything._

_First it was the case, then his failures in the case, then his failures with life in general, then his failures with her. A small mention of that summer a long time ago, the one when Gibbs was not there... It seemed like ages ago, the only time when Rule no12 seemed to not apply; they stopped once Gibbs was back using the rule as an excuse to cover the real motivations of fear and taking risks... But tonight they were there once more, taking care of each other as always, grieving together the lives they lost, looking deeply in each other's eyes to find the answers they wanted. He was not that drunk any more, she was still intoxicated by his stare. She did not remember who came on to whom, it just happened. They needed each other. The next morning they both tried to settle things but another case got in the way, then Michael came back wanting her once more.. It was a confusing time and she ended up making all the wrong choices._

_When back in Israel she still had not known she was pregnant otherwise she would not have accepted Michael's old mission. It was already too late when she became 100% sure, she had already been made captive. When Saleem found out he knew it would be his way to break her and bit by bit she had revealed some information that would be of use to him. The only things she said were Mossad-related and no matter how much he asked for NCIS information she could not get herself to betray them. _

_By the time she went into labour, with more than a few weeks premature, she had given enough information to bring her father down. Saleem wanted Eli to know that his own daughter had betrayed him so he sent her back to Israel the minute she gave birth – he thought that nothing would have the same affect on Eli as finding his daughter and grandson barely alive at his doorstep. Of course he did not know Eli David. After waking up in the hospital there was a long time where Ziva wished that Saleem would have killed her instead. For her son was giving her a reason to live and now she did not have that anymore._

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The knocks on the door startled her from her thoughts, with a swift "Come in" she closed the memories back into their box. When the door opened she could not stop her thoughts from going down memory lane once more as the young man standing there could have passed as a young Tony (or his son..) Kind green eyes, handsome face, small smirk on his mouth no doubt enjoying the fact that he was called in the most important room in the building. The only difference between this young officer and Tony were his hair, which was black, and his olive-tanned skin. Any doubts she had could have evaporated into thin air right at that moment, however she did not allow herself to hope.

"You asked for me director?" he asked in his accented voice. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and put on her best Director mask.

"Yes, I did. Sit down Officer. I have been told of your achievements; it is quite an impressive tale is it not? You have only been here for 3 years and already you are prepared to join any team and you would excel in whatever team you would join."

"Thanks Director"

"What is more impressive Officer is that you are still quite young. 21 is it?"

Nathaniel smirked saying "Yes, but that is not impressive at all Director, seeing as by that age you were already part of the Kidon unit and had more field experience."

Ziva tried to gauge the young officer's response, he seemed far too young, too innocent to wish to become a murderer. This is not what should have happened. This is not the life she would have wanted for him. She sighed, telling him: "That may be true officer but I hope that those are not the goals you wish to reach."

"I don't understand Director. Is it not good to be ambitious?"

"No, to be ambitious is a very good character trait. To be foolish however leads to early death instead of early promotion"

"You think that I am not ready?"

"That is not what I said."

"Because I am ready Director. As the papers show you I am very well trained. I am like Keanu Reeves in The Matrix."

"Is that so?"

"Yes Director"

She smiled, he had the same cockiness of Tony and she knew just how to deal with that.

"Ok then, show me." She picked the first thing from her desk and told him: "I have a weapon in my hand. Disarm me."

Nathaniel was shocked, if this was some sort of test she surely could have picked a better weapon to make it more difficult.

"Director, your weapon is a paper clip?" he asked unsure if he should question his Director, he had a lot of respect for her ever since he overheard some of his peers talk about her achievements as a young Mossad operative – the cold ruthless killer.

With one raised eyebrow she looked at him and held her mask, "so?" she told him. He stood up waited, then attacked her but she was as quick as always knocking him on his back and placing the now open paperclip at his throat. Nathaniel could not believe what had happened, he had got his ass kicked by the Director who was now way in her 40s. Not one to give up he stood and said: "Again". Ziva looked at him and saw a familiar look in his eyes, the determination to learn new tricks, the same one that she had when she started Mossad. She allowed him to attack her once more and once more she overpowered him. On the third time he managed to twist her arm, kick her foot and slam her to the desk. But immediately he let her go, not wanting to hurt her. "I am sorry Director."

With a smile and a foreign sensation of pride Ziva shook her head: "Do not apologise, it is a sign of weakness. And besides, you managed to overcome me in hand-to-hand combat. It is something that has not happened in quite a while I assure you."

"So I passed the test Director?"

"Only if you answer one question. How old are you?"

"As you said before, I am 21."

"Do not lie to me."

"I'm not"

"Yes you are Nathaniel. Now tell me the truth."

It was strange having the Director of Mossad calling you by name and it was that coupled with the fact that he was really afraid of her and of what she could do to him that made him answer truthfully. "I am 17 years old."

Ziva looked at him, silently making calculations in her head and arriving to the answer she wanted but still did not allow herself to hope for. "I see you want to join the Collections unit," she said changing the discussion.

"Yes Director."

"Why?"

"Because I want to serve my country" he said giving the scripted response all the others use.

"You are not Israeli Officer DiNozzo, why do you call it your country?"

"Even though I was not raised here, I feel very close to it."

"Israel, rather than Italy. You where raised in Italy were you not?"

"Yes. As written in my file my Grandparents were Israeli but I was raised in Italy" he told her remembering the story he had used.

"Still why Israel?"

"Am I not of value to Mossad and to this country Director?"

"It is not what I said. Why do you feel close to Israel? I need to see where your loyalty stands Officer. If with Israel, if with Italy."

"I have no ties with Italy Director, my answers are in Israel."

His answers... perhaps he is looking for his parents but how would he have known where to search? This was ridiculous, she did not even know how he was alive let alone he ended up here.

"Ok. Now tell me why you want to join the Collections unit. You are still very young, why do you want to go abroad? To go undercover? "

He could not believe that after admitting that he lied about both his age and upbringing he had not been kicked out or worse killed by the Director who seemed more than capable of doing it, even with just a paperclip. She was much more that he had heard from his team-mates and superiors, this Director of theirs. They pegged her as ruthless, emotionless, to the point kind of person and probably she was but right now standing there in front of him, looking at him with that kind gaze, for the first time he felt as he thought a son would feel looking at his mother knowing that he had lied. And at that point, though he would never admit it to anyone, Nathaniel wished that Ziva David were his mother.

His thoughts were halted by the ringing phone. The Director answered then saying "I'll be right there," she replaced the headset in its place. "It seems we have to cut this conversation Officer, we will talk another time."

As he was about to leave the office, the Director called him once more, "Oh and DiNozzo, I know 18 different ways to kill with a paperclip." She smirked and he felt terrified but at the same time a strange warm feeling settled in. With that he left.

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End of Chapter two.

Thanks a lot to all those who left reviews or added the story to their alerts, I appreciate every word and every alert. To me this is just a story I could not get out of my head and decided to write it down, so it has many flaws both grammatically and plot-wise. To_ NYT _– thanks for the constructive criticism, I hope I can answer some of your observations through the next chapters.

Thank You and Merry Christmas.


	3. 3 A call for help

_**Roots**_

Summary – Nathaniel Anthony DiNozzo does not know who his parents are. Follow him as the search for the truth takes him from Italy to Israel and finally to America. Takes place 18 years post-Aliyah. TIVA.

Disclaimer – NCIS characters are CBS's not mine.

Note: As you'll see I don't really know how to write between conversations, but I hope it is clear who is saying what.

_Chapter Three – A call for help_

A few days had passed since she first saw Nathaniel and Ziva could not stop thinking several what ifs situations. Still she could not understand how it could be that Officer Nathaniel was her Nathaniel. In the meantime she had other things to worry about, there were still threats on her life, there always were and intensified when she became Director but lately she had been feeling as if someone was watching and following her. That coupled with the fact that lately she noticed that Hamas were one step ahead of them in most operations, made her think that not only was there someone out there to kill her but there was also a mole inside Mossad.

At present the door to her Office opened and Officer Hadar entered. Hadar had stayed with her when her father died saying he could help her get the reigns of being Director, he had always been very loyal to her father and he did help her when she started out. However everyone knew that he secretly wanted the post for himself so Ziva tried to be more careful around him.

"What do you need Officer Hadar? As you see I am very busy."

"Yes I am sorry Director, I just need you to sign these papers." She quickly looked at the papers he gave her, they were just beaurocratic issues with embassies in foreign lands. After half a dozen signatures she noticed a paper that was different, it was an order to send a Collections Unit to Washington for training purposes. She read the list of officers participating in the training and the name Nathaniel Anthony DiNozzo stood out.

"What is this Hadar?"

"It is one of the training sessions for the new katsas – the Collections' field officers. Our espionage department needs to be updated and we send a team to get acquainted with America. You remember how it is done Director."

"Yes, I do." She knew exactly how it was done; undercover officers (Katsas) would receive training from Kidon officers, they would have to learn not only to be good undercover officers but to be good assassins. It was difficult to imagine her son undergoing that training, the training which made you forget your human emotions and turn you into a ruthless killer. "I do not remember validating Officer DiNozzo's request to join the Collections. When did this happen?"

"I did not think you would find any objections, it is a simple assignment."

"May I remind you Officer Hadar that I am the Director here. I decide where my people are assigned."

"You are reading too much into this _Director _It is just a training assignment. But it is not the assignment that you object to, is it? You worry about Officer _DiNozzo_?"

"I worry about my officers"

"But it is not that. It's the surname. I remember of course about Agent DiNozzo, it seems such a long time ago. If I were you, I wouldn't let old things bother me, there are so many things at present in Mossad you should worry about my Director." To Ziva, it almost sounded like a threat.

"I want to know the flight details of the team. That's an order officer."

"They should land in a couple of hours."

"OK, you can leave now."

It was only after he left that she allowed her mask to slip from her face, she could not believe that the moment she had fond Nathaniel she had lost him again. She had been planning on asking him to her office once more if only to look at him and see herself and Tony in his face. She wanted to get to know him, she wanted to see if his childhood was happy, if he was healthy even though she was tortured during her pregnancy. She wanted to know her son. But now he had been shipped to Washington to learn how to kill. It was a repeat of her life even though she wanted to escape from it and she nearly managed with NCIS, with Tony.

But then everything went to hell with Michael, she had allowed herself to trust him and he played her, he betrayed her. She had not seen it at that moment but those months in Somalia gave her time to think and to reflect on who can you really call family. She had screwed up, by trusting Michael instead of Tony but how many people can she afford to trust if they all ended up hurting her? At that point all she had wanted was to return to America, to him. But then she lost Nathaniel, or at least she thought she did, she could not bear to go back to America and look Tony in the eyes every day knowing that one day she could have looked in the same green coloured eyes of her son. The hurt of losing her son, of feeling a complete failure took a long time to heal.

But now there was a ray of hope, an opportunity that would make her make amends with her past. She would not let it pass, she needed to find out if Nathaniel was her son and she needed to protect him. And she knew exactly who to call to make that happen.

"Shalom Gibbs"

"Ziva, long time no speak.."

"Yes I know, I have been very busy… but it is not an excuse. I am sorry"

"Don't; it's a sign-"

"Of weakness, yes I know. But I have been weak Gibbs, I only hope that it is not too late to fix my mistakes. I need a favour Gibbs"

"I am retired Ziva"

"Hmm.. just like the last time then? You were retired then, but still you helped me. I know it is a lot to ask but.."

"Just tell me Ziva"

"A Collections team was sent to Washington today, there is a member of that team… he is young, naive. He needs direction, he needs to know that life is not about being an assassin, that our qualities can be used for good. He is like me when I first came to NCIS... he needs guidance. It is something he cannot learn from Mossad."

"I find that hard to believe coming from the Director of Mossad"

"So you heard. No offers of congratulations?"

"Don't know if it's something to congratulate you about"

"Perhaps you are right. This life is not what I would have chosen when I was still with you but things change your perspective on life. You agree yes?"

"I do. What do you want me to do about him?"

"I do not know, protect him in any way possible. Kidnap him if you must."

"Now there's an idea... Is he in any danger?"

"I do not know"

"Then why? Why him from the thousands young officers at Mossad. What's so special about him?"

"Let me ask you something Gibbs. Consider the life I had, constant training, killing... would that be something you would wish on your children?"

"Is he-?"

"I am not sure, maybe it is some sort of sick joke my enemies are doing on me. Maybe it is a way my father found to torture me from his grave. I do not know. I cannot be sure. All I know is that I want him safe."

"OK. What's his name?"

"His name is Nathaniel DiNozzo"

End of chapter three

This was quite a short chapter, looking back I see that it could have been added to the previous one, sorry about that. Thanks once more to every reader/reviewer/story alerter; every single one of you means a lot. I find it strange how many are enjoying the little story I couldn't get out of my head...


	4. 4 Out of Retirement

_**Roots**_

Summary – Nathaniel Anthony DiNozzo does not know who his parents are. Follow him as the search for the truth takes him from Italy to Israel and finally to America. Takes place 18 years post-Aliyah. TIVA.

Disclaimer – NCIS characters are CBS's not mine.

Note: As you'll see I don't really know how to write between conversations, but I hope it is clear who is saying what.

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Chapter 4 – Out of Retirement

Gibbs still could not believe his ears when Ziva uttered the kid's name but she hung up before he could ask any other question. In all his life he had never met another person capable of surprising him like Ziva. First it was with Ari - when she shot him and after revealed he was her brother, then several moments on the field when she turned out to be a great field agent and not just an assassin and several other moments but now she surprised him again. Not only she had a son but it seems she had DiNozzo's son. It was for reasons like this that rule number 12 existed. And now there he was out of retirement once more, standing at the arrivals section of the airport waiting for this kid he was about to kidnap. He had no real complaints, retirement could be quite boring but still he never thought he would be doing this. It was a testament to his relationship with Ziva that he was doing this. Even though they had not left on the best note he knew deep down that she was a good person who was simply lost.

The screen alerted him of the plane's arrival from Tel Aviv. Recognising him should not be difficult, he had been in the game for too long to not recognise a group of undercover Mossad trainees and he was right. Five of them, dressed like tourists, they were a give-away because two of them were constantly looking over their shoulders. 'Amateurs' he thought, they would never deceive anyone. The third was not that bad, the fourth was clearly the control officer and the fifth was really good and looked like he was the youngest. If you were not looking for it you would not have noticed the knife at his waist, right where Ziva carried it, or the fact that he subtly looked checked the perimeter. But it was not only that, he would have recognised him just by one look at his face. It screamed DiNozzo, from his eyes right down to his arrogant smirk. Oh yes, there was no denying it, why was Ziva waiting for official proof anyway?

In reality he couldn't blame her; he knew why, she would not allow herself to hope that it was him. He understood it, if someone had told him that Kelly was really alive he would check and re-check without allowing his heart to believe it. At present he just threw away his empty coffee cup and followed the Mossad group. He just wanted to tail them for a while to see when to act but the opportunity was presented to him immediately.

He noticed Nathaniel gradually distancing himself from the group till he was close to two other men. They showed him into a cab and made a move to follow him, Nathaniel seemed to trust these two men, but one look at his control officer showed otherwise. Ben-Gidon was the control officer, he had met him in Israel 18 years before, he seemed not to know what was going on and was approaching the cab quietly. When the two men realised, one of them pulled out a gun and the other shoved Nathaniel deeper in the cab. It was the right moment for Gibbs to attack.

Ben-Gidon took care of one of the men while Gibbs took care of the other and entered the cab with Nathaniel shouting "Drive!" to the taxi driver. One look back showed the two men escaping and Ben-Gidon looking at the cab. They were already on their way when he felt a knife at his throat.

He smiled and said, "You can put that down kid."

"Why should I? You are abducting me, am I not allowed to defend myself?"

"You are but it's a lost cause," Gibbs told him slowly point a gun at Nathaniel's abdomen. Nathaniel had to lower his knife and handed it over to his abductor while Gibbs smiled to himself, knowing that in his old age he was still good.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Gibbs told Nathaniel to try to stop him from fidgeting. The ride from the airport to his house had been quite entertaining to say the least. The boy had talked so much that the driver had to stop at one point and threaten to leave them in the middle of the highway. Thinking back to what happened at the airport, Gibbs thought that Ziva had been right – the kid was in danger. On his first visit to America he is involved in a gun shot, even if he is Mossad this was not normal. But who was after him? It was something that he had to find out but for now he still had to earn the kid's trust.

"Then why are you keeping me hostage?" Nathaniel told him.

"You're free to leave," with that he removed the ropes that were tying Nathaniel to the chair. "There, leave if you want."

Nathaniel could not understand why this man would first kidnap him then just tell him he's free to go. Was this a part of the training? Were they testing him to see how he would behave under pressure? He made a move to leave to see what will happen next when the man's voice stopped him.

"I just thought you needed answers, that's all," Gibbs said just as Nathaniel was about to leave the basement.

What a strange thing to be said by a kidnapper. Nathaniel really did need answers but how did this man know and how did it fit in with everything? "What do you mean?" he finally asked.

"You came here looking for something didn't you? I think I have the answers you are looking for." Gibbs said trying to pry the truth out of Nathaniel.

"How do you know what I'm looking for?"

"The question in your eyes, you want to know where you belong or maybe who you belong to."

Nathaniel could not believe that this man had him figured out in the little time he had known him. He struggled to put up his mask as they had shown him in training.

"Don't worry, it is not something you did. In fact out of the other losers you were the most believable as a tourist. I just happen to have a bit of experience in the field and I may have been tipped off by someone."

"By who?"

"All in due time, now tell me why where you divided from the rest of the group at the airport?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Just answer me. The other three took a cab with Bin-Gidon, you were going to join two men who were not on your flight. Why is that?"

"At this point I'm not even surprised that you now my control officer... but to answer your question Officer Hadar told me before I left Tel Aviv that I was to join those two men who would then give me my assignment."

"I thought that you were here on training."

"I am, so to speak... but Officer Hadar said that following my good results in training in Israel, I would be given an assignment."

"And you believed him?"

"Why should I not?"

"Your control officer did not know about this assignment."

"He was surprised to see you not to see my informants"

"You think so?"

"I know so, why would he be surprised to see the others? I'm sure Officer Hadar informed him of everything."

"Ziva was right, you are naïve," he muttered under his breath.

Nathaniel did not miss that phrase but thought better than to ask him knowing he would not be given a straight answer. But it made him think, it was strange that Hadar had approached him before leaving for Washington. Was he wrong in believing that his good work during training had been rewarded? In reality he didn't care about the assignment, he saw it as an opportunity to distance himself from the others and so he would have time to find the answers he was looking for.

But perhaps this man was right, Hadar was using him and he had allowed it, what a rookie mistake! His quest was clouding his judgment but it was all he was living for. All his life was a question and he finally felt he was closing in on the answer; a few mis-judgements along the way were to be expected. He then asked, "You seem to know all about me, who are you?"

"Gibbs, retired NCIS special agent."

"NCIS?"

"Naval Criminal-"

"I know what NCIS is." Nathaniel told him in frustration, he could not believe his luck! Being abducted by NCIS – the clue to his answers. "I'll ask again: Why did you kidnap me? I deserve an answer."

"You're right, someone asked me to protect you."

"Who and from whom?"

"Can't answer the first one yet as for the second one, it seems from Hadar."

"That doesn't make sense! Why would Officer Hadar want to hurt me?"

"You're looking for answers, why don't you tell me what you know and I'll see if I can fill in the blanks," he said this offering him sandpaper which Nathaniel took and they started to work on the boat. Gibbs realised immediately that Nathaniel had skilled hands and asked him about it.

"I learnt at the orphanage."

"The orphanage?"

There was no use keeping anything back at this point, there was something trustworthy about this man so he decided to tell him everything. How he was found, the star of David, the notes, the ongoing search for his parents, the letter that lead him to Israel, joining Mossad and finding out about an Agent DiNozzo of NCIS. And finally the assignment to Washington, exactly where he wanted to be.

Gibbs listened patiently to everything, the kid had had a rough life but still he seemed one good guy. He had not let his past affect him and was simply looking for answers even though the search could cost him. Having to undergo Mossad training at such a young age had to leave an impact on his life, no wonder Ziva wanted to save him from it.

Nathaniel noted that Gibbs had a way of making you feel at ease and tell him everything. He believed him when he said that he was there to protect him but knew that there were many things that he was keeping from him. However he did not have the desire to leave anymore, he felt safe, safer than he had ever felt before. He knew that while Gibbs was there, nothing would happen to him. It was a strange feeling, one that he could link to the nun's orphanage which also represented safety, a sanctuary if you will. But this was different, Gibbs looked at him like he knew him and maybe he did, maybe he knows his parents.

"I told you my story, now what can you tell me?"

"You're at the right place Nathaniel."

"You can tell me who my parents are?" asked Nathaniel allowing a trace of hope to lace his voice.

"I can help you be sure. Hope you're not afraid of needles, I'm going to need some of your blood."

"Don't tell me you have a DNA kit somewhere in this basement?"

"No, but I happen to know the best forensic analyst of the country," Gibbs replied.

"Ok, let's go then."

"Not now."

"And what do we do now?"

"We wait."

"For what?"

"To confirm the theories."

"You talk in riddles nonno.."

Gibbs smiled knowing that nonno meant grandfather in Italian seeing as Tony called him that quite often when he was with Abby's kids. He looked at Nathaniel again as he grabbed the sandpaper and continued to work on the boat, he was a good kid. So much like both of his parents that the DNA result was unnecessary. But he owed Ziva proof, scientific proof, and was sure that Tony will need it to be convinced that he was a father.

* * *

End of chapter 4

Just a small Happy New Year to all of you. May 2010 bring you joy, happiness and love and loads of Tiva scenes :D


	5. 5 Tony's Story

_**Roots**_

Summary – Nathaniel Anthony DiNozzo does not know who his parents are. Follow him as the search for the truth takes him from Italy to Israel and finally to America. Takes place 18 years post-Aliyah. TIVA.

Disclaimer – NCIS characters are CBS's not mine.

Note: As you'll see I don't really know how to write between conversations, but I hope it is clear who is saying what.

chapter 5 – Tony's Story

"Tony, you're wanted in the Principal's office," McGee told him coming down the stairs from MTAC. McGee and himself were the best Special Agents in the building, he wasn't bragging, it was true. Everybody knew it, everybody acknowledged it, why shouldn't he? The Director himself knew it and was in fact intimidated by it. It was for this reason, Tony thought, that he separated them giving each his own team. He didn't want too much Gibbism going on in one team, it could over power him. Little did he know that by doing that he created two teams that used Gibbs' methods, since both Tony and McGee had worked with Gibbs for far too long to abandon him now.

It was strange at first, NCIS without Gibbs, well it's still strange now! But people thought it would be worse; Gibbs had become an institution in NCIS – no one wanted to admit they liked his unorthodox methods but they knew that he always got the job done. His determination to solve any crime, to put the bad guys where they belonged – that is what made him a legend. When Porter came into power, people thought it would be the same as always – Gibbs going on with his work as normal and the Director supporting him unofficially to get the job done. Boy, were they wrong!

Porter wanted to be the one who made every choice, who was credited with everything. Slowly he started to infiltrate the famous Gibbs team using whatever he could to piss Gibbs off. He still remembered the time when Porter had fired Ducky due to 'old age'… Gibbs was furious. They had a long shouting match in the office and it ended with Gibbs saying he would be retiring in a short time. It was a momentary win for Porter.

The moment Gibbs retired Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo became in charge of the team, he had to admit he loved it. But not before long Porter came knocking on his door so to speak. Trying to will him in his good book but after all those years with Gibbs… well let's just say he was Gibbs' man through and through. It was then that McGee was given his own team and Porter tried with him as well but ended up with the same result. That was a surprise for Porter as he always thought McGee to be the spineless jellyfish of the group. What a rookie mistake. McGee had grown to be a great field agent and team leader, not that Tony would ever say it to his face, he'll always be the McProbie to him.

Gibbs' retirement had also not gone down as Porter wished. He didn't go to Mexico like the last time, he stayed in his basement building boats and drinking bourbon with Ducky. And whenever they got too bored they would come to help with a case, of course being invited by either of the Special Agents and by the ME Dr. Palmer – Jimmy. Porter was not too glad about that one but could not stop it from happening, after all if the team said they needed to consult with someone to close the case, he had to allow it.

To tell you the truth, Gibbs and Ducky were quite enjoying their retirement. They spent half the time babysitting Abby and McGee's little daughters: Emma and Caitlin. Yes you got that right: Abby and McGee, Tony couldn't really say it was a surprise but he had to admit that sometimes he envied Tim. He had a family that loved him and Tony knew that Tim would do anything for them. Emma and Caitlin were well loved by all of the team, Gibbs had even built boats in their name. They were quite the hyper little Abbys and nerdy in all sorts of cute ways, everyone loved them, even Tony. He would never admit it, a DiNozzo babysitting cute babies! But he was quite good with them and taught them many little tricks to play on their father. It was reciprocated to the full, they loved their Uncle Tony to bits.

Tony allowed himself to momentarily think about family as he was going to Porter's office. He generally forced himself to steer away from certain subjects as when he even approached the family issue his mind would go back eighteen years. It was best not to think about those times and right now the Principal, as he and McGee called him because he treated them like high school kids, was waiting for him. What had he done to piss him off this time?! Whatever scenario entered his mind, none of them included finding Officer Ben-Gidon in Porter's office. It had been a long time since he last saw him in Israel. In that day his life had changed, they went back to DC one short and his life remained one short ever since.

He quickly masked his surprise with his famous smirk. "To what do we owe this pleasure officer Ben-Gidon?"

"Agent DiNozzo."

"It's Special Agent" he told him smirking once more.

"Special Agent, it has been a long time since our last meeting. Almost 18 years."

"Oh I'm glad you two know each other. It will make things easier," interrupted Porter from his desk. "You see Special Agent DiNozzo we have a small inconvenience."

Tony smiled at the word, inconvenience, anything that did not fall into Porter's plan of becoming the next SecNav was inconvenient. "And what can I do to solve this inconvenience?"

"Officer why don't you tell him what the issue is."

"Today I arrived in Washington with a team of young officers. One of the members of that team was abducted."

"That would be an FBI issue Officer, not ours."

"Yes perhaps it would, but since it was Gibbs who did it I would say that it is your problem."

Tony was really surprised at this point, why would Gibbs abduct a Mossad Officer?!

"Well you see, Gibbs no longer works with NCIS perhaps you didn't get that memo. So really I still cannot see how this is our problem."

"Really DiNozzo our Israeli friends are just asking for some help, it is the least we can do and after all we know Gibbs better than the FBI. It is a matter of solving a problem before it is created. Surely we do not want the FBI investigating an ex-NCIS agent?"

"It's retired, not ex-agent. And why didn't your beloved Director ask us directly? She sent you to do her dirty work, typical Mossad procedure," he said this allowing himself to remember the time they had found out Ziva was made Director. They were not even sure she was alive at that point, let's just say that the news was a shock and caused quite a stir in NCIS.

"Actually the Director has not been informed about this, I thought that if we resolve things she would not need worry for nothing." Ben-Gidon answered him.

So Ziva had no idea what was going on, how he wanted to call her just to tell her that her young officer was kidnapped by a retired NCIS agent! Just to see if he still knew how to make her go nuts, like before. His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden feeling of sadness that always hit him when he allowed himself to think about Ziva so he shook his head and focused on the task at hand.

"Well I still don't see what we can do but I'll make a few calls. I don't promise anything."

With that they were dismissed, before going back to the bullpen Tony asked Ben-Gidon, "Why did you come asking for help? You could have just gone to Gibbs' place if you know he has your officer."

"It is better this way," was the cryptic answer.

"You're being tailed? You want to lead someone here don't you?" Tony asked, his investigator instincts kicking in.

"Perhaps. It is safer this way" Ben-Gidon answered in the same Mossadish crypticness.

"There's something you're not telling me."

"I'm sure Gibbs will tell you and you will help me. We'll get our way just like the last time."

It was not the way Tony remembered it had happened. If they had had their way he would be a Mossad prisoner right now for killing Rivkin. But they did go back minus one; maybe that was what he was referring to. It was still a sore subject with Tony. Ziva and himself had a very complicated relationship to say the least; they had been friends, partners, lovers… They were the strongest partnership in all of NCIS, trusted each other blindly but everything went wrong in the months before she left.

It wasn't just one night for him but he thought it was for her. Rivkin was still very much in the picture even though she hadn't heard from him for a while. It was one of those things which you wanted to talk about but neither one wanted to take the first step. It was inevitable that with Rivkin's return things would be shoved in a drawer and locked there. When things got out of hand it became too late to unlock those feelings.

Flying back to Washington without her was a sign that everything had to be forgotten. She was hurting, felt too betrayed to even speak to him; he had to give her time. And he did, but after a couple of months of nothing he had started to get worried. It was not like her to not contact anyone, not even Abby. There had to be something going on. After several searches involving the whole team, they had come to the conclusion that she was sent on a mission. Trying to find out what that search entailed was fruitless. Tony went to Israel to have a talk (more like a screaming match) with the Director. He came to the conclusion that the Director either didn't know or didn't care where his daughter was.

He didn't give up, back in Washington the dead body of Marine was brought to NCIS for investigation. It turned out that he was on a ship – the Damacles – with a group of Mossad officers heading towards Somalia. Further investigation showed that Ziva was on that ship heading towards a military camp. Seeing it as a golden opportunity to finally find Ziva, they had gone to Somalia and found the camp. They killed Saleem, the head of the camp, but some of his men managed to escape. They found no one else, the only conclusion they could think of was that she had been killed.

It was therefore a surprise to everyone when after 10 years news of the appointment of Ziva David as Director of Mossad had reached them. She was alive but never attempted to communicate with them. She didn't need them anymore, she didn't need him.

Removing those thoughts from his mind he reached his desk and phoned Gibbs. He answered quickly.

"DiNozzo, I was expecting this call."

"Hey Gibbs, glad you know what I'm calling about. Would you mind telling me what's going on?"

"Nothing's going on DiNozzo. It's a good day to work on the boat."

"Is it also a good day to abduct Mossad agents?"

"Yeah, that too."

"Good you don't deny it. Listen, you remember Bin-Gidon, he's just been here asking us to return the prodigal officer back to mother land."

"I can't do that."

"Why? Why kidnap him in the first place?"

"I just decided to help out a friend."

"Or you decided to piss Porter off."

"Maybe. But it's more the favour to that friend."

"You're not going to tell me anything else are you?"

"Glad to see we're still on the same page DiNozzo. Now if you don't mind I have a boat to finish, don't worry about the kid, I'll explain in due time."

"Sure I'll just invent an excuse for Porter. Another boat eh? Do you know what you're going to name this one?"

"Nathaniel."

End of chapter 5

I just re-watched the end of season 6 with my mum and am full of NCIS-loving, I love Aliyah – what an episode! Can't wait till next week's episodes!

Anyways that's the first chapter of 2010, hope you like it.


	6. 6 Betrayal

_**Roots**_

Summary – Nathaniel Anthony DiNozzo does not know who his parents are. Follow him as the search for the truth takes him from Italy to Israel and finally to America. Takes place 18 years post-Aliyah. TIVA.

Disclaimer – NCIS characters are CBS's not mine.

Note: As you'll see I don't really know how to write between conversations, but I hope it is clear who is saying what.

* * *

Chapter 6 - Betrayal

Ziva was still in her office at 9pm... Mossad office working hours were not generally long but lately she was checking and rechecking everything trying to find out who was the latest threat. She could not help but wonder what was happening in the other side of the world. She knew that Gibbs had Nathaniel as he had contacted her. That fact made her feel a bit relieved. She trusted Gibbs completely and knew that Nathaniel would be safer with him but still she had a not so good feeling. And if her time with Gibbs' team in NCIS had thought her anything was that you had to trust your gut. And presently her gut was telling her that a storm was coming.

Presently her feeling was being confirmed as she found more papers of mission orders that she did not authorise. All the missions had one person in common – Hadar. She called Benjamin, her assistant, to ask him if he knew about this. Benjamin was still a young officer but quite a loyal one, he was also a man of principal and values - one that is not commonly found in an organisation like Mossad. She felt that they were lucky to have him and he was one of the people she truly trusted inside the Mossad.

When he came in she asked him about the papers. He answered, "Officer Hadar told me that he had spoken to you about them Director."

"Well he had not."

"I do not understand... he said that these were important missions, fact-finding missions essential in the fight against Hamas," answered Benjamin truly surprised.

"I am starting to think that they are essential in the fight against Mossad.." Ziva thought out loud.

"You think Hadar is betraying us? But he has always been so loyal to your father."

"That is not always a good thing Benjamin. Could you tell me one more thing? Was Hadar showing any interest in the new officers?"

"Now that you mention it, he would come in to check now and again on one officer."

"Which one?" she asked, dreading the answer.

"Officer DiNozzo. He would check his training results, said he knew him since he was a baby and was looking out for him."

That was not good news for Ziva. Hadar was obviously doing something fishy, why would he create and hide missions from her and why would he be so interested in Nathaniel? Saying that he knew Nathaniel since he was a baby... how could that be? It was at that moment that a memory from long ago resurfaced in her mind. It was the night she was left at her father's doorstep just days after giving birth. Her father had found her with Nathaniel in her arms. He called an ambulance and tried to remove Nathaniel from her arms but she wouldn't let him, wanting to protect the little baby with all that she had. At that moment another person had come and managed to take the baby, it took all her strength to say out loud: "His name is Nathaniel Anthony DiNozzo." The man was Hadar.

She could not believe that her mind had suppressed that fact. But now it was clear to her, she could see his face as he looked at Nathaniel. When two days later she would wake up in a hospital bed, she would believe her father when he said that the baby did not make it. She knew that it would be a miracle anyways after all that she endured. It was one of the reasons for choosing the name Nathaniel – gift of God. And Hadar had helped her father in getting rid of Nathaniel, in lying to her.

Benjamin was right, Hadar had always been very loyal to her father. In fact when her father died he stayed to help her gain control of Mossad always suggesting what her father would have done. She had tried to steer the organisation in a different direction from her father's but noticed that Hadar was insistent on making as few changes as possible. Still, why would he betray Mossad this way? Too many questions...

"Benjamin please ask Officer Hadar to contact me."

"I cannot, he is not here."

"Where is he?"

"He left for Washington earlier today."

"He did what?!" Hadar was in Washington? First he sends Nathaniel there, then he goes himself? Something was definitely going on and it was not something she could solve from Israel. "Benjamin I need to get to Washington as soon as possible."

"I'll see what I can do."

"Good, in the mean time, you are in charge of telling me exactly what is going on here. Hadar is planning something, I want to know what it is."

"Got it Director."

Feeling utterly confused, Ziva took some time to gather her thoughts. She pulled out her gun and started to clean it, the task was always one that relaxed and focused her. She tried to sort out the facts; first of all Hadar always knew of Nathaniel's existence and never told her. Second: he frequently checked on Nathaniel to see how he was doing. Third: he sent him to America away from her. Forth: He was involved in missions with Hamas which she knew nothing about. Fifth: she knew he never approved of her as Director.

He knew she would want to know more about Nathaniel the minute she found out about him; he knew she would do whatever it took if something ever happened to him. Hadar was using Nathaniel to get to her, he was the mole working with Hamas. And she had realised when it was too late, she had let Hadar manipulate her in keeping him as the trusted consultant and ended up giving him reign on Mossad. Now he was using the most important thing in her life against her and was on his way to achieve what he always wanted – the Mossad under his command.

This had to stop. She would not let anything happen to Nathaniel now that she had found him. She would not let another day pass without making amends with NCIS and the team. She would not let misunderstandings stand in the way of her happiness and she would not let the Mossad be the kind of organisation that it was under her father. It was time that she took control.

* * *

End of Chapter 6

Tonight a new NCIS episode awaits us, which I'll see tomorrow online, meanwhile you have a short piece today but a longer chapter next time.

Hope you enjoy both the chapter and the episode.


	7. 7 Karate Kid

_**Roots**_

Summary – Nathaniel Anthony DiNozzo does not know who his parents are. Follow him as the search for the truth takes him from Italy to Israel and finally to America. Takes place 18 years post-Aliyah. TIVA.

Disclaimer – NCIS characters are CBS's not mine.

Note: As you'll see I don't really know how to write between conversations, but I hope it is clear who is saying what.

chapter 7 – Karate Kid

The next day Tony was just going down to Abby's lab for answers on a case. Coffee in his hands and smirk in its place, he entered the elevator looking at the other person who was already in it and smiled. As soon as the door closed he hit the emergency button.

"Morning Gibbs, you here to surrender?"

"Nah, just checking some things."

"Care to explain what's going on?" Tony asked, dreading the answer.

"He needs to be protected."

"From who?"

"Not sure."

"Mossad after him or with him?"

"Let's just say that his officer looked quite surprised when instead of climbing with him in the taxi, the kid was following two men."

"So Ben-Gidon was not part of it."

"Didn't seem like it. But he knew the men." Gibbs answered.

"Really? That's interesting."

"Yeah, what'd he tell you?"

"He said that it was safer that he came here to NCIS than going directly after you."

"He wants people to think NCIS has the officer," came the typical Gibbs reply.

"Why?"

"He told you DiNozzo, because it's safer. We can protect him better here."

"Protect him from who?"

"That's what we have to find out."

Tony sighed, this was leading nowhere productive. "Why are you doing this Gibbs, he's just an officer, he's not a marine."

"A friend asked me to."

"I forgot that you still had friends in the Mossad," muttered Tony sarcastically.

"It's not my story to tell DiNozzo."

"You do remember how I feel about being kept in the dark don't you?"

"Yes I do, but believe me Tony you want to be sure before hearing this story."

"Where's the Prodigal Mossad anyway?"

"Abby's Lab."

"You never cease to amaze me Gibbs. I thought he needed protection," Tony uttered in surprise.

"He also needs answers, Abby's taking care of that while I find the other answers."

"There's no movie in existence to quote at this point which proves how ridiculous what you just said is."

They restarted the elevator and arrived and the Lab, Tony went out but Gibbs stayed in the elevator to go find his answers.

Tony entered Abby's lair just as he heard the queen of goth exclaim: "Awesome!"

"What's awesome Abs?"

"Oh hey Tony, Nathaniel is a genius! He just identified the genum of this plant and told me where it is commonly found in less than 5 seconds. With his help you'll have the Maltese Falcon case closed in no time."

"The Maltese Falcon?" exclaimed Nathaniel, talking for the first time since Tony's arrival. He looked at Tony carefully, studying him. He looked like a serious guy, down to business but at the same time he had an air of boyish arrogance around him. It was a strange mix.

"Yes, Humphrey Bogart 19-"

"1941 yeah I know." Nathaniel answered shocking both Abby and Tony.

"You know the classics Nathaniel? Just like our resident movie-pedia here," Abby told him.

Tony took a moment to look at the kid, he looked too young to be already involved in the traitorous world of Mossad. Did Ziva approve of such young officers? He thought the she wouldn't want anyone to be ripped of their childhood for training like she was. But she was not the Ziva he used to know so he probably should not assume.

"So you're Nathaniel, you're causing quite the commotion. You're just a kid, are you sure you're Mossad?" Asked Tony in his best interrogation voice. He knew that he should trust Gibbs when saying this kid needed protection but that did not mean that he could not do some investigating of his own. For all he knew the kid could be sent to infiltrate NCIS, unlike Gibbs he was not one to forget Mossod's past behaviour quickly.

Nathaniel smirked, this Tony was underestimating him. "Oh I'm Mossad. Do you want a demonstration? You know I could kill you in eighteen different ways with just a paperclip," he told him using the Director's threat seeing that it had worked so well on him.

At that phrase Tony's whole stance changed, "Is that the only thing that teach down there in Israel! Been there done that kid, that threat does not frighten me" _anymore. _

Abby looked at both guys staring down at each other, both trying to gauge the other person. It was like watching a game of chess, very freaky. Nathaniel decided to make the first move. "You don't know anything about Mossad training." Bad move, Abby thought.

"I don't? Let me tell you what I know about Mossad training. They take the kids and brainwash them, then they find something to use against them to manipulate them into doing anything for Mossad. And even when you'll be at a point where you want to stop, you won't because they'll use it against you: your family, your friends, your everything; till you end up giving your life to something you don't even believe in anymore."

"You don't know what you're talking about." Nathaniel told him half-heartedly, he had a feeling that this Tony knew much more than he was letting on.

"Maybe I don't, maybe things changed. But then again here you are being sent on a mission in a foreign land and the minute you step out of the airport you're betrayed by the same people that sent you here. Yeah Gibbs told me about your little friends, the ones your control officer knew nothing about. Seems to me like Mossad's still up to its dirty little tricks."

"You got something against Mossad?"

"You got something against NCIS?"

"Yes!" cried Nathaniel leaving Abby shocked and Tony smirking, he broke the kid.

"What's that?"

"My NCIS _father_ didn't want anything to do with me."

Now that shocked Tony, it was not what he expected. He still was not sure that Nathaniel was saying the truth but he pitied the kid knowing what it was like to not have a father who was present. "I'm sorry kid, I really am."

It was the tone of his voice and the look in his eyes that made Nathaniel believe Tony. He still could not believe that Tony had managed to break him so quickly, he had lost control. He was feeling a hatred build inside him against Tony and his arrogance but now he saw that it's the result Tony wanted – what a great method of interrogation. He told Tony just that, to relieve the tension.

Tony smirked once more, "works on Mossaders every time."

"So you did have other run-ins with us," asked Nathaniel to try to keep the conversation going, he was liking this aspect of Tony – the joker boyish grin on his face. He was sure that if he studied it enough he could copy it; it had to be a great tool to impress the girls.

But Tony had shut himself once more lost in the memories Nathaniel was bringing back and just left the lab without any other word.

"Don't worry Nate, it's not your fault. It's just that Mossad brings back some feelings that Tony would rather not think about." Abby told Nathaniel to console him.

"Did you have a lot of run-ins with Mossad?"

"Run-ins does not even start to describe it Nate, we worked with a Mossad officer for four years!"

"Really I didn't know."

"Don't think it would be in your history books and I'm sure that they don't like to talk about it on your side of the pond either."

"Who was the officer?"

"Ziva David"

"The Director?! I think I need something to drink."

Abby looked at him with her 'I need to decipher you' look, "Sure just go to the Caf-Pow machine."

Nathaniel left with a hazed look on his face still trying to work out all the new information while Abby shrugged her shoulders and went back to her work starting the DNA test that Gibbs had requested.

"Where is he Abby?" Gibbs sounded angry, very angry, it was just like when he still worked at NCIS and the solution of a case eluded him.

"He was just here Gibbs, he needed something to drink so I sent him for a Caf-Pow."

"How long ago was this Abby?"

"Forty-five minutes."

"Abby! He would have gotten a Caf-Pow from Israel in that time!"

"I'm sorry Gibbs! I just lost track of time, I was working and then I received a call from Ems and Kate's school."

"Something happen to them?" Gibbs asked always softening at the mention of the two little girls.

"Just a small thing in the science lab, nothing serious."

"I thought they went to elementary school."

"So?" Of course Abby's children would already be wandering in the school's science labs. But back to the subject, he could not believe that Nathaniel had disappeared right from under his nose.

"Okay, McGee pull out the security tapes check what happened to him."

"Done Boss, check it out."

"Call Tony first."

"I'm already here, what's going on?"

"Nathaniel's missing we're checking the tapes to see what happened."

They all looked at the screen as McGee searched for the best camera shot. They found Nathaniel leaving the lab he took the stairs up two floors, got next to the Caf-Pow machine and went back to the stairs. They checked the corridor's tape from the lab but it never showed Nathaniel coming back out.

"Something must have happened in the stairs Boss."

"You think McGee?! Pull out the cameras from the stairs."

"Coming up."

"There he is, there's someone waiting for him!" Cried Abby.

Abby was right, at that moment in fact that someone attacked Nathaniel but Nathaniel fought back. He injured his attacker turning his face towards the camera.

"That's Hadar," Gibbs said. But Hadar overpowered Nathaniel by injecting a needle in his upper arm. He then pulled him down the stairs and escaped.

"Karate Kid put up one hell of a fight," said Tony clearly impressed by the kids' abilities.

"Yeah, like mother like son," said Gibbs earning shock glances from everyone in the lab.

It was Tony who recovered his voice first, "You know who his mother is Gibbs?"

"Yes and so do you."

"Well, who is it?!" Cried Tony, still angry that Gibbs was keeping this from him; it was clear that it was essential information, pivotal to why they were protecting this kid in the first place.

"Gibbs who is it?"

"It is I, I am Nathaniel's mother." Came a voice from the door of the lab, they all turned around to find Ziva standing there. At that same moment Abby's computer started beeping showing the test results from Nathaniel's DNA – Mother: Ziva David, father: Anthony DiNozzo.

"Oh my God!"

End of chapter 7

A long one this time, it was originally two separate chapters but I did not love it that way. This is the beginning of the final showdown and I hope that it lives up to your expectations...

On a separate note – I loved Ignition! Had some great Tiva chemistry and I totally loved the scene where they are questioning the ex-wife and Ziva goes 'You ever get violent with him' always cracks me up. Having watched Tiva fan-vids all day long to give me a good mood I'll share one with you: .com/watch?v=AgpL7b7AhHY

Till next time.


	8. 8 It was Inevitable

_**Roots**_

Summary – Nathaniel Anthony DiNozzo does not know who his parents are. Follow him as the search for the truth takes him from Italy to Israel and finally to America. Takes place 18 years post-Aliyah. TIVA.

Disclaimer – NCIS characters are CBS's not mine.

Note: As you'll see I don't really know how to write between conversations, but I hope it is clear who is saying what.

* * *

chapter 8 – It was Inevitable

The tension in the Lab could be felt be everyone, McGee was sure it could be felt by the whole Navy Yard. Ziva and Tony had not stopped staring at each other; it was just like the old times minus the 'eye-sex'. Eighteen years... it really had been that much. He knew that there was this something between Tony and Ziva, everyone knew but no one wanted to be the one to talk to them about it.

What they didn't know was the fact Tony and Ziva themselves had done something about it. For all he knew their relationship had stopped at the unresolved sexual tension part but one look at Abby's monitor told him he was wrong. The silence was deafening and since he was not one to be comfortable in these situations he decided to take action.

"Hi Ziva."

"Hello Tim," she told him without removing her eyes from Tony.

"Glad to see you're ok, haven't heard from you for a long time." McGee said.

"Damn right we haven't. And yet here she is, dumping her mess on us just like in the old days," it was Tony who answered still looking at her. One look at Ziva confirmed that she was hurt by what was being said.

"You are right Tony. It is my fault that we did not stay in contact. But you are not correct on the other part. This is not just my mess."

"Tony-" Abby tried to interrupt him.

"Yeah? From where I stand it's exactly what it is. Your son? Really Ziva?" He said letting his surprise and disappointment lace his words. He had not expected this, it was true that they had not spoken in a long time but to see that she was such a different person now hurt him. Had she not want to tell them that she was a mum, to them that she had once considered to be her family?

"Tony"

"That officer is a just a kid and you let him get involved in this. Never thought you would turn out just like your father." He told her, anger this time being the feeling that took over him.

"Tony!"

"What Abby?!" Screamed Tony turning to face her.

"Look at the monitor," was Abby's reply.

Tony looked at said monitor and froze. Mother: Ziva David, father: Anthony DiNozzo. "What were you testing?" he knew it was a stupid question but he needed to hear it from someone.

It was Gibbs who answered, "Nathaniel's blood, I gave her the sample myself. Ziva needed proof and I just wanted to provide it."

At that Tony turned to look at Ziva again, "You wanted proof?" How could she not know about her son, their son?

McGee could feel a third World War erupting, "I think we need to give you guys some time, we'll leave right guys?"

"Tim I need to work, it's my lab!" Abby cried out.

"We'll be the ones to leave," said Tony. Ziva nodded and left the lab with Tony following her. They entered the elevator but no one pressed the emergency stop, they made it to the autopsy room which was empty. Tony went to get a bottle of single malt and two glasses then sat down on the chair next to the table offering Ziva a glass. It was just like the time after Jenny's death, that conversation had been long overdue just like this one.

"Start." Was his only demand.

"I only found out about him two days ago." Ziva said while she paced around the room.

"Found out what? That you were pregnant? Since when do children grow that much in two days?!"

"Will you please let me explain?" Ziva told him.

"That's why I haven't tried to kick your ass back to Israel yet."

"And just how do you think you would achieve that? I am a grown woman and the Director of Mossad for crying out loud!"

"I see you've studied your idioms _Director_"

"Don't patronize me Tony. And anyway you still wouldn't do _that_, we need to find our son"

Tony froze once more at the words _our son_ "You come here after eighteen years of nothing and say we have a son."

"You saw the monitor, a DNA test does not lie."

"I'm not saying you're lying." He said, the tone of his voice rising once more.

"Then what are you saying Tony? Would you for once just say what you are feeling instead of mixing everything with movies and sarcasm and jokes." Ziva exclaimed stopping her pacing and turning to look at Tony.

"Look who's talking, it's not like you're the poster girl for honesty or do I have to remind you why WE ARE HERE?!" He shouted getting up and getting closer to her, invading her personal space just like she used to do all the time.

He took a moment to really look at her, she still looked the same as eighteen years before. Same beautiful eyes, same glare, tanned skin and still sexy as hell. Sure the signs of aging were there but she still had the same aura of exotic danger and mystery about her. How could he have not fallen for her all those years ago? Their proximity, common long working hours, complete trust in each other. It was inevitable.

Ziva was thinking the exact same thing. Many times during her imprisonment in Somalia and after Nathaniel's _death_ she had wondered what it would be like to see him again. Whatever she was thinking did not do this moment any justice. How could she after eighteen years still long for him? How was it possible to feel the same electricity just by standing close to him? Could she still fix all of her mistakes? Tony was right, she had kept things from him and the time had come to settle everything.

She moved to a chair and started telling him everything. From the suicide mission in Somalia she had accepted, finding out she was pregnant and the calculations leading her to know Tony to be the father, Saleem's delight in knowing he had something to use against her. The information she had revealed about her father ultimately leading to his death, giving birth alone in a cell and being dumped by her father's door as a message to Eli – so that he would know who betrayed him and why. Waking up in the hospital and finding out Nathaniel was dead, the reasons she did not return to America. Her return to Mossad culminating in her post as Director after her father's death and seeing the name Nathaniel Anthony DiNozzo written on a paper a couple of days ago.

Tony was shocked to say the least, he had not expected everything to be so complicated. He had let her tell the story without interruptions and now silence filled the autopsy room. They were both thinking about what had been said, Tony on his part still needed resolution on a part she had omitted from her story - their last conversation in Israel.

"I just need to know one thing, about Rivkin." He told her, the question remaining unsaid.

"I reflected a lot on that, and you were right he was playing me. I am sorry I questioned your motives."

"Then why did you?"

"I trusted my brother Ari, I trusted Michael. I could not afford to trust you. I am sorry Tony, I know now that you had my back, you always had my back."

They looked at each other carefully, their eyes screaming the words they were too afraid to say. They had edged closer to each other more during the last part of the conversation and Ziva slowly put her hand on Tony's cheek and looked at him again, one glance to his eyes and one to his lips.

"So what happens now?" She asked him, her voice in a whisper.

"We find our son."

"I meant-"

"I know, but I think it's best that we find him first and settle this later. There are still things... it's been eighteen years." He wanted to allow himself to think of her in that way but as he said too many things had happened, they don't disappear with a son and a conversation.

"I understand Tony." After all she could not expect things to go back the way they were before Michael. He was right, too much had happened and if ignoring the last eighteen years meant ignoring Nathaniel's existence she didn't want to.

Reluctantly they left each other go and went to the elevator to go back to the lab. In the elevator they updated each other regarding the search for Nathaniel and once they were in the lab they were in full business mode.

"It's Hadar, he wants me out" Ziva said immediately.

"Yes I know," answered Gibbs, "I've made a few calls, there has been some chatter in Israel that Hadar was making contacts with Hamas. Turns out that he wants to take Mossad to a whole new direction."

"What do you mean?" Tony asked.

"He wants Mossad to be involved in terrorism, he's tired of doing it the peaceful way." Gibbs replied

"Mossad has a peaceful way?" Tony interrupted once more.

"You do not understand Tony, what we do is to protect Israel we retaliate yes but Mossad does not start terrorist attacks. He's destroying all that our ancestors fought for, all that I sacrificed myself to."

"And he's using Nathaniel as bait. Now we need to find where he could have taken him, he probably won't let anything happen to him till you find him but at this point…" It was McGee who spoke now voicing what both Tony and Ziva were thinking.

They continued to discuss possible locations but without any evidence all they had was conjecture. Ziva saw Tony move around nervously and knew that he would not be able to stay put here waiting for clues. He needed to be outside looking, he needed to feel that he was doing something to look for his son. She knew the feeling and found something they could be doing: "Let's start by searching some old safe houses that are in the area."

"Great idea Ziva, let's go." Tony answered, grateful that there was something they could be actively doing.

"We'll keep you updated guys," told them McGee. They shouted their thanks and went to the car park where Tony led them to his car. He went to open the driver's door when Ziva cleared her throat. He looked at her and recognising the look on her face told her, "You're not driving my car!"

"We'll arrive faster and you know it." He had to admit that she was right and so he let her drive knowing that there was more at stake here than his beloved car.

* * *

End of Chapter 8

First of all – I couldn't help but put in some quotes from season 7, the talk between Tony and Ziva in Reunion to me is simply perfect so I wanted to reflect that.

Second, just a small answer to some reviews:

Betherzz – Did you read the previous chapters? Cause it's quite clear in those that Ziva did not know about Nathaniel, so she kept nothing from him. And she didn't feed him any anti-Tony/anti-NCIS; it's Nathaniel who had that perception.

NYT – yes you kind of had to suspend your disbelief in the last chapter... I'm sorry about that, my lack of creativity had to show up some time! But thanks for keep on reading it even with all the plot holes.

WannaBBillie – Did check your vids, they're great I especially loved The Special Two and Not Alone.

Third, let's all go see Tony's dad :D


	9. 9 Discussions whilst Driving

_**Roots**_

Summary – Nathaniel Anthony DiNozzo does not know who his parents are. Follow him as the search for the truth takes him from Italy to Israel and finally to America. Takes place 18 years post-Aliyah. TIVA.

Disclaimer – NCIS characters are CBS's not mine.

Note: As you'll see I don't really know how to write between conversations, but I hope it is clear who is saying what.

* * *

Chapter 9 – Discussions whilst Driving

Tony and Ziva had already gone through five safe houses finding nothing there. They had contacted Ben-Gidon who promised his help; turned out that he suspected Hadar was involved when he saw the men at the airport. He was not one of Hadar's supporters and knew that it was best to have the Americans on their side, it was why he had entrusted Nathaniel in NCIS' hand. He promised to try out some other Mossad hide-outs and keep them informed. McGee had tried to track down Hadar's mobile but it was switched off. They tried to check how Hadar left the NCIS building with Nathaniel but all the options were taking a long time to be eliminated.

Tony was getting very frustrated at the thought that his son was in grave danger.

"Tell me about him." He asked her suddenly.

She did not need to ask who he was talking about; she herself had felt the same overpowering feeling when she found out about Nathaniel, that wish to know everything about her son. She let her mind go back to that meeting in her office only a couple of days previously and allowed her heart to fill with an undeniable feeling of love which she had denied herself at that moment, not wanting to hope yet... A smile graced her lips without her consent as she thought about him, her son, how to best describe him?

"He has your arrogance and over-confidence," she finally told Tony.

He laughed out at that, "Yeah?"

"Yes, well you managed to give him an unhealthy dose of it," she said still smiling "and he also has your passion, your eyes, your annoying but still somehow lovable trademark smirk." she said softly.

Tony felt a feeling of pride fill him, so powerful he never thought it was possible to feel and not explode. His son! It was still hitting him, he was still coming to terms with it. He was a father! He had a boy; a boy who he would do anything for; a little DiNozzo.

"A true DiNozzo then," he told her. Then he asked her the question he had wanted to ask the second he learnt his son's full name, " Ziva, why did you give him my surname."

She did not answer immediately, knowing just how crucial the question was to their relationship. It was a decision she had taken whilst in Somalia and never thought about again. She decided to be totally honest with him and told him what was passing through her mind during those months in captivity; the dejection she felt, the fear, the will to die...

"It was comforting, knowing that he was yours. It made me feel like you were there with me, in that cell... and anyways 'David' has too many Mossad connections in Israel. I did not want that in his future. I wanted freedom and hope away from the betraying and manipulative life of Mossad." She said the last part sarcastically, knowing that he still found those things in his life no matter how much she had prayed he would not when she was still pregnant.

Tony looked at her carefully, he felt guilty for saying she had become like her father back at the Lab. People who did not know Ziva would think her cold-hearted especially when it comes to children but he knew better. He remembered the way she was when children were involved in a case. The image of Michelle's niece being told by Gibbs that her aunt would not be back and Ziva's reaction were still very clear in his mind.

He knew that she was reminded of Tali every time a child was involved in a case. It was one of the first things she had opened up to him about that night in front of a hotel with a cup of coffee in their hands. She had said it as if it justified her assassin way of life. And he knew that it did; she had seen far too many deaths in her youth, have been deprived of her childish innocence by everything around her, most of all her father. He got angry just thinking of the man. Eli David had always had the manipulative streak, it was clear in the way he raised Ari to be his own personal mole and how he turned Ziva into the best assassin there could be. And now he had taken away her chance at happiness, her chance of having a family.

"What about you? Did you have a chance to meet him?" Ziva asked him to break the silence and to learn whatever she could about her son.

"Yes, he threatened me with a paper clip!" Tony answered laughing out loud and casting his mind back to the time she had used that threat on him.

"Really?" she asked, remembering the threat she used on him in the office and smiling.

"Oh yeah, he still needs to perfect his glare but other than that he can be quite convincing! Abby was terrified. And she said he helped her to identify some plant so he's really smart. He got that one from you. But he got his love for _il cinema_ from me – he knows the classics. Oh and you should see the footage from the surveillance camera of him tackling Hadar. Some of the moves are exact Ziva David, totally your son that Karate Kid."

Ziva noted the proud tone of his voice and let him speak about Nathaniel. She still found it strange how quickly it comes, the unequivocal force of love, pride and belonging when you have a child along with the worrying. Did every parent feel this? This constant worry, the need to know that he was OK, feeling their heart enlarge and fearing their chest would not be able to hold it. It was not something entirely new to her, she had felt it the second she found out that she was pregnant.

She still remembered feeling devastated and happy at the same time. She was already a prisoner of Saleem when she came to the realisation, in reality it was astonishing that she had not realised before. In the panic of the whole Michael-Tony thing she had just marked her lateness due to stress, it happened a lot to her. But it was not, and once she came to accept the fact that she was indeed pregnant she realised that she had been for quite some time. The math also gave her the certainty of Tony being the father and just the thought helped to alleviate the physical and emotional pain she was in. It was Nathaniel and Tony who helped her survive those months and now she was rediscovering the maternal side of her that she had buried when she buried Nathaniel.

She focused once more on the road ahead and realised that Tony had stopped talking. She glanced at him and saw that he wore quite a serious expression. It was only seconds ago that he was talking proudly of Nathaniel, what had happened? She decided to ask him.

"He hates me Ziva. He thinks I abandoned him…" and he went on to tell her about the episode in Abby's Lab.

Having truly known Tony she immediately recognised the tone, the same one used after Jenny's death, the one he uses when he feels guilty. She knew that his relationship with his own father was not a good one, owing to his father's absence from his life and so she realised the significance of having Nathaniel think that he had abandoned him.

"This is not your fault Tony, I know that given the opportunity you would have been there for him. You will make a great father Tony. We will tell him the truth, the whole truth, we will not be our fathers."

Tony appreciated her words and found solace in the fact that they still knew each other so much. It felt as if she had never been gone, like their relationship was back to the way it was in those months before everything else happened.

Their silent conversation was interrupted by Ziva's phone and she took her hand off the wheel to look for it. "What the hell are you doing?" Tony asked alarmed.

"When a phone rings you answer it Tony."

"Not when _you_ are driving. Hands on the wheel, now! Tell me where your phone is."

"In the pocket of my trousers," she said glaring at him and daring him to get it.

Tony did not think twice, he smirked at her and pulled out the phone answering it without taking his eyes off of her. "Ziva David's phone…. _Benjamin_?"

"Put it on speaker phone," Ziva asked immediately. "Shalom Benjamin, what have you got for me?"

"_Shalom Director, I don't know if it is relevant but I just found out that Officer Hadar has recently purchased another mobile_."

"It is very relevant Benjamin, send us the number, we'll trace it."

"_Of course Director_."

"Toda Benjamin."

"Benjamin?" Asked Tony as soon as the line went dead.

"Are you jealous Tony?" Ziva asked back using the usual sultry voice she used whenever they used to banter this way. When Tony didn't answer she laughed and said, "You do not have to Tony. He is my assistant. Now send McGee the number Benjamin sent us and tell him to track it down."

"Done and done _Director_," he told her still recovering from the insane spurt of jealously that had hit him. "He answered, it's not that far. Let's go, McGee said they're on their way but we're much closer."

* * *

End of Chapter 9

Sorry for not uploading sooner, had a hectic couple of days! Just a couple of chapters to go, thanks for sticking with me till here.

Have a good weekend.


	10. 10 Showdown

_**Roots**_

Summary – Nathaniel Anthony DiNozzo does not know who his parents are. Follow him as the search for the truth takes him from Italy to Israel and finally to America. Takes place 18 years post-Aliyah. TIVA.

Disclaimer – NCIS characters are CBS's not mine.

Note: As you'll see I don't really know how to write between conversations, but I hope it is clear who is saying what.

* * *

chapter 10 - Showdown

They arrived at the safe house in record time thanks to Ziva's driving. There were only two men guarding the house, for two professionals like Tony and Ziva it looked simple enough. Too simple. Drawing out their guns and looking at each other, they silently agreed on the path to take. A quick overview of the situation led them to ensure that only those two men were outside. Now it was time to wait for the opportune moment, one more shared look and two gun shots rang out. They had both managed to hit their targets straight between the eyes, Tony allowed a small smirk to grace his lips.

They moved quickly right to the door, Ziva knocked it down and Tony had her back just like the old times. They saw that the landing was clear and were going to check the whole house, when a voice was heard.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the voice called out halting their movements. They turned to voice's direction and were shocked by the sight presented to them. Hadar was pointing a gun to Nathaniel's skull who in turn had a bomb strapped around his chest with a dead-man switch in his hands.

Hadar's smirk made Ziva feel sick but she would not allow him the satisfaction of showing it. "Drop your weapons and kick them to my side, all of your weapons." He told them, adding the last part when he noticed that Tony had not removed his back up. "Your knives, Director." They saw no other option but to relinquish their weapons and when he was satisfied he gave them handcuffs to cuff themselves to the plumbing pipes along the wall. They did as they were told.

"Very good, you are such excellent parents – coming to the rescue of your beloved son, just as I hoped."

"Son?" Nathaniel asked shocked.

"Oh yes, Nathaniel. But that is a long story but we will have time for that won't we, David, DiNozzo?."

"You're agent DiNozzo?" Nathaniel interrupted looking at Tony in a whole new light.

"Yes," was the whispered answer. This was Anthony DiNozzo, this was his father and the Director, his mother. He looked at her then, tears were slowly marking her face but still the look she was giving him was one of such warmth that he felt his heart fill with a sentiment he could not recognise. The second feeling was once more one of confusion. Did they know about him, had they abandoned him?

Hadar interrupted his thoughts: "Let's get comfortable, we have nowhere else to go to after all. And since you are about to die I think that you should die knowing the whole story and how important you were to your country."

Tony and Ziva still said nothing, they were overwhelmed by anxiety. They had finally found their son only to find him in more danger than they expected; they did not dare to make one move dreading it will cost Nathaniel his life.

"I don't understand." Cried Nathaniel.

"Director, why don't you tell him what I am talking about," Hadar told

Ziva answered immediately knowing that Nathaniel would not like any more lies, "He means that you were used by him, to get to me. So that he could overthrow me and become the next director of Mossad."

"Very good Ziva, I knew you would arrive to the conclusion at some point."

"It is what you have always wanted, you thought you could have it when my father was dying but I was in your way." Ziva replied glaring at Hadar.

"Yes you were in my way but then I remembered about young Nathaniel here, such a sweet boy left without any parents. Questioning his existence, all I had to do was to point him in the right direction."

"You sent me the letter telling me about Mossad." Nathaniel interrupted once more. Things were getting more and more confusing, if Hadar had sent him the letter than his father had not abandoned him as he had momentarily thought.

"Actually it was not my idea, it was Eli's. The old man had gone soft; he was feeling remorse on his dying bed. Remorse at not having been a good father. Perhaps he remembered the time agent DiNozzo here had come to pay him a visit to tell him just what a miserable job he had done and how he would never treat his children that way." This shocked Ziva as she did not know that Tony had gone to her father, it must have been while she was in Somalia, and her heart fluttered at how much he cared for her.

Hadar continued, "Eli asked me to send a message to Nathaniel saying that he was sorry and to tell you about your parents. I just decided the amount of information you should receive."

Nathaniel couldn't believe it; a tool is all that he ever was. Being used by someone just to have more power.

"If you're going to tell the story, might as well start from the beginning don't you think?" Tony told him, interrupting Nathaniel's thoughts.

"You are right _Special Agent_ DiNozzo. The beginning, let me see... oh yes. You killed Mossad Officer Michael Rivkin to _protect _Ziva. Ziva then took Michael's mission and was captured and held prisoner in a concentration camp in Somalia. One night after some months, I was at the Director's house when Ziva here was dumped at the doorstep with a child. Imagine our surprise!"

"At Ziva being alive or at the child?" Tony asked sarcastically.

"Both I suppose. But the child part mostly, that is part of the story that you have to fill out don't you?" Hadar said looking at Ziva and Tony; neither said anything not wanting to reveal those parts of the story in front of Hadar.

"So you really are my parents?" Nathaniel asked, wanting to hear the answer coming from their mouths. The one question that had troubled him all his life, the question that had led him to Mossad and to Washington. He looked at Tony then at Ziva, seeing her eyes soften and a small smile start to appear gave him his answer; her voice confirmed it. "Yes Nathaniel, you are our son," she told him her voice breaking slightly. And even though the situation would not normally allow it, he found himself smiling widely. He had found the most important part of the puzzle – his parents. He had a mother and a father! He was someone's son! What a strange and amazing feeling.

"Oh what a nice moment, can we continue the story now?" asked Hadar. "When we found you Ziva, you said the boy's name before falling unconscious. And another surprise – a DiNozzo and not Rivkin. That made Eli very angry but still he would not get rid of the child, he said that his good genes could come handy some day. I did not understand at that point but I do now. Eli was always good at seeing the bigger picture. He thought that keeping him close by would raise too many questions so he requested that the kid be sent somewhere else. Italy was chosen because of his surname, which Eli decided to keep – I don't know why, perhaps that remorse, once more. You may not know Ziva but he always had a soft side when you where concerned."

"Yeah he had a funny way of showing it. 'Let's see my daughter was abandoned at my doorstep with a grandson I knew nothing about, what should I do? Oh yes tell her the child died and send said child to Italy!' Yes I see the soft side." Tony interrupted once more, angry at the way Hadar was telling the story showing Eli as a good father. What good father would send his daughter on a suicide mission? Then when by some miracle he gets her back, he destroys her life once more by saying the child she had just given birth to, had died! It was not his definition of a good father.

"Tell me what happened in the years preceding my father's death." Ziva asked, eager to get to the truth.

"As well you know Saleem's men had special info and even though Saleem himself and most of the men were killed by NCIS, some survived. It took time but they were able to rebuild themselves and start their hit on the Mossad slowly, the final blow being the attack on Eli. I realised that Mossad would not be the same without Eli and that it shouldn't be the same. Where did diplomacy take us after all? We were still beaten by terrorists, it was time to change. But with you as director, that would not happen. But you Ziva, were not the same headstrong person; you had many weaknesses and they were showing. It was quite easy to operate under your nose. You never suspected a thing. And I had the best weapon for the final blow. I knew that the boy would come looking for his parents and when I realised he joined I knew that things were set into motion."

"Considering that both Tony and I are here and know about your plan, I guess it did not work that well, yes?" asked Ziva.

"You are cuffed, your boy has a bomb around his chest and I have a gun. I think the plan is working just fine."

"Depends on your perspective on things I guess. You deliberately led Nathaniel here to get me involved. However you also got Tony involved," Ziva told him.

"Exactly, the two of us together? Not a smart move," Tony said looking sideways at Ziva, their strong field partnership as efficient as ever. "Nathaniel, be a good karate kid and practice meditation, you know the no movements type," Tony said. The next things happened so quickly Nathaniel would rethink them over and over to see exactly what went on.

Somehow his mother, had gotten rid of the cuffs and found a weapon (part of the pipe behind her). She must have thrown it at Hadar hitting him on his temple; at the same time his father, who had also released himself from the cuffs, attacked Hadar removing the gun from his hand. In the next micro second his mother was by his side a knife already in her hand and she started to look at the bomb strapped around his chest. His father knocked Hadar unconscious and tied him securely then joined Ziva in trying to solve the mystery of the bomb.

"Is it a type you've seen before?" Tony asked Ziva.

"Yes, however the dead-man switch makes it much more complicated."

"Perhaps it would be a good idea to talk about something else, maybe it will calm me down," Nathaniel told them, wanting to control his body's shaking so as to be sure that he doesn't let go of the switch.

"True kid, what do you want to talk about? Movies?" Tony asked him.

"How did you uncuff yourselves?" Was the first question that popped into Nathaniel's mind.

"Ahh the ninja tricks eh. Your mother taught me that one, don't worry she'll teach you too." He told him recognising the look in his son's eyes as the one Ziva gets when checking out a new gun. It was amazing how much he resembled both of them, he still couldn't believe he had not seen it the first time he met him.

"It was a stupid mistake on Hadar's part, he should have remembered I know how to do that. He underestimated us, I am not sure I am flattered about that." Ziva said still working on the bomb.

"And the pipe?" Nathaniel asked once more amazed at the tricks his mother could pull.

"It was behind me, anything can be used as a weapon." Ziva answered absentmindedly still focusing all her concentration on the bomb.

"How did you know when she was going to attack?" Nathaniel asked his father. At that point Ziva and Tony looked at each other, volumes of words being said silently.

"We're partners." Tony said, then asked Ziva "So you know which wire to cut?"

"Yes, I think it is this one."

"You think?!" cried Nathaniel. He watched as she cut the wire and waited for something to happen.

* * *

End of Chapter 10

So there you go, just one more chapter to go. Thought I'd post this today to compensate for the lack of new episode. This week I plan to rewatch some season 7 episodes and do a Tiva video – just to keep me company till Jetlag arrives... I can hardly wait!

Thanks for reading


	11. 11 A New Beginning

_**Roots**_

Summary – Nathaniel Anthony DiNozzo does not know who his parents are. Follow him as the search for the truth takes him from Italy to Israel and finally to America. Takes place 18 years post-Aliyah. TIVA.

Disclaimer – NCIS characters are CBS's not mine.

Note: As you'll see I don't really know how to write between conversations, but I hope it is clear who is saying what.

* * *

chapter 11 – A new beginning

A tree is nothing without its roots, if you remove its roots you have removed its entire being.

Sr Rosa always said that the roots can tell you a lot about the tree itself. A tree with solid roots will be properly anchored in the soil and withstand the elements of nature. It is amazing how much one's perspective on life can change when several facts on one's life are discovered. If you had asked Nathaniel a year ago if he thought he could withstand the storms that life puts you through, he would have said 'yes' owing to the Mossad training he had. If you asked him today he would say 'yes' as well but he knows that it has nothing to do with physical training.

The things he discovered about himself in the past year have given him something he never felt before – a sense of belonging. Knowing where you come from, who your parents are, what is your genetic inheritance is like adding a background to a picture – it looked good before but now that you have the background you cannot remember how you could appreciate it before. It feels complete now and you wouldn't have it any other way.

His newly-added background consists of a family. His mother, Ziva David, is a Ninja jack of all trades. Every day he learns another thing that she can do. He also realised that he got his linguistic skills from her; they enjoy teasing his father by talking in other languages in front of him. He also got his 'karate kid moves' as his father calls them, from her; they held weekly training sessions since he wanted to learn all her tricks; he even beat her some times. As opposed to what most people would think, his mother was kind and funny in her own way. She was also a good cook, quite a down to earth person and lived her life not caring what other people thought.

Tony DiNozzo, his father, is what can be called a goofball. He talks a lot and all the time, throwing movie references left, right and centre. All this Nathaniel managed to inherit and his mother had bought earphones just to keep out the extra noise. He's also very dedicated to his job and is really a great investigator. Tony lives following a set of rules which Nathaniel thinks are mainly there to teach him a lesson. Sport is one of the thing they do not have in common. Being raised up in Europe, Nathaniel thinks of AC Milan when football is mentioned but Tony keeps on saying: 'Soccer is NOT Football.' Last but certainly not least, his father has a certain charm ('Italian, it's in our blood') and is not afraid to use it to get exactly what he wants. His mother is the only one seemingly unaffected by it. He says seemingly because he knows otherwise.

All he has to do is remember the day they saved him from Hadar to know just how much Tony affected her. After cutting the wire they waited anxiously to see if something would happen, when thankfully nothing happened he found himself part of a strong three-way embrace initiated by his father. It is a sensation he will never forget, how can so many emotions be expressed in one hug? He felt safety, belonging, love and wanted in one go. When they let go of each other his parents just looked into each other's eyes. It was then that his mother got a look on her face so soft, so loving... the only explanation is that she was more than a little affected by the DiNozzo charm. Nathaniel knew that it was more than that, he knew that the bond they shared was a strong one, undiluted by time. The kiss that his parents shared was proof enough. It was that way that they were found by Gibbs and McGee – his parents kissing but still somehow keeping a hold on him, ensuring that he was there, that he was real.

After that it was quite confusing; American citizenship, living with his father, building boats with Gibbs and finding a job (delivery boy, just an excuse to learn how to drive a motorcycle). His mother took some time to settle things at Mossad, paving the way for a new era without Hadar's influence. She had picked Benjamin, her assistant, as the next Director saying that he had a strong personality with good foresight and passion. She had complete faith in him and knew he could serve Israel well. She could have stayed herself at Mossad but said that she had given enough; it was time to return to America, to Tony.

And return she did. His parents got married the first moment they had available. When asked why they did not wait to see if things could still work out between them, they said that they had wasted enough time already. It was time to let their feelings rule them for once, to love each other freely without secrets or misunderstandings, to not let anything left unsaid. If you ask Nathaniel he would say that he didn't have any doubts about his parents working it out, the way they were at it he was expecting an announcement of a baby sister or brother any time now! But he wasn't one of those kids who felt embarrassed when his parents showed some public display of affection. To him it was something that others took for granted, growing up he never had the privilege to know that his parents loved each other so he appreciated every moment.

Apart from his parents he also found a grandfather in Gibbs. Being a quiet person, Gibbs let him talk about anything for hours. Some would say that Gibbs had the ability to tune him out, ability he had perfected on his father, however he had a feeling that Gibbs listened to every single thing he said. It was their way to bond, sand paper in hand and hours of talking on Nathaniel's part. Sometimes Gibbs would share a memory from a case involving both of his parents but it was more for the sake of pointing out how he resembled one of them than for the sake of telling the story.

For true story telling he would go to Ducky. And if Gibbs was the grandfather, Ducky would have to be the great-grandfather! Ducky told stories the way Fr Marco used to say them, with a twinkle in his eyes as if he was recounting a first-hand experience. The man was more than a walking Wikipedia, there wasn't one thing he didn't know about. Spending time with him was fascinating to say the least.

He also had his aunt Abby – what a character! There were really no words to describe her; a goth, childish woman, Caf-Pow enthusiast. These words still did not capture her essence, Abby was Abby. She had a way to make you feel comfortable like you were in the presence of an older sister. He loved to spend time in her lab, helping around and learning new stuff. She took care of his musical education and also taught him how not to leave forensic evidence when committing a crime. Useful eh?

A mention of aunt Abby would not be complete without Uncle Timmy who was a novelist. His father had already warned him that he would feature heavily in the new book of the Deep Six saga. He was also really good in computers, really good. His fingers would go at supersonic speed whenever he was doing something and Nathaniel would stare at the keyboard fascinated by the scene. He was learning quite a few tricks from his uncle, some of which he had already used on his father.

The family would not be complete without his little cousins Emma and Caitlin. They were a mix of their parents which made them the most eccentric nerds ever seen. Just like their parents they had a big heart and took to him quite quickly, they turned him into their older brother of sorts and he was entrusted with the job of protecting them from the evil boys of their school. His father's influence on them showed up every once in a while when they would play a trick on him but they had such an innocent smile that he would forget about it immediately.

When Nathaniel set out to find his parents he never imagined he would find an entire family. Now for the first time in his life he didn't have a main goal in his life. He didn't know what profession he would like to follow, if he wanted to study... All he knew was that he wanted to stay with his family, to fight with his parents on curfew hour, to try unsuccessfully to keep a secret from his mother... to live a 'normal' life – the one he never had to chance to experience.

He did not know what was in his immediate future other than the trip to Italy he was taking with his family. He was going to show them the orphanage, introduce them to his childhood. He wanted them to know that even though they weren't in his life, he was taken care of, he was loved. He thought it was important for them to know that he had a good childhood and that even though he wished that it was with them, he did not resent his time at the orphanage. It was part of the puzzle of his life; it shaped him into the person he was now.

And who was he now you ask? He was a son, a grandson, a cousin and a nephew. He was a karate kid, a talkative arrogant smart-mouth, a quick learner, a moviephilic. He was a tree with strong roots.

- Roots – Radici – שורשים – Raíces – Għeruq – Racines – Wurzeln – Raízes – корни – الجذور - 根 –

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End of the story

Can't believe I finally uploaded all of the story. It's been quite a while since I've started something like this and actually finished it, so I feel completely satisfied just by that fact. Then there are other things that make it all more wonderful – the response I got. I am amazed by the 100+ reviews – a record for me. I am honoured that so many people choose to read this little story and disregard the fact that it's not such good writing and I know it's not but I hope that the characters felt real as they felt to me.. As I've said before, I wrote this and uploaded it just so that I could get it out of my mind; so it being liked by others was secondary.

I must take this opportunity to thank some people:

Every single person who read this

A special thanks to all those who took the extra step and reviewed/favoured/put on story alert. The emails in my inbox would brighten up my days.

A special mention to Jena Rink for her story _Catch me if you can_. It was while reading this story that I started to imagine what would it be like for Ziva and Tony to have an adult son/daughter go look for them. It is from there that Nathaniel started intruding my thoughts. For all of you who still have not read the story: what are you waiting for?

Just so you know, I'm writing a couple of one-shots as an anticipation for Jetlag. I hope to start uploading on Sunday.

Thanks for everything. It's been a great ride. Take Care

marija


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